Disney+ Netherlands trial represents fraction of service’s potential
A trial version of Disney+, currently available in the Netherlands, has a catalogue of 496 movies and 157 TV Seasons - noticeably smaller than its main competitors in other Disney+ primary launch markets. However, Ampere’s analysis indicates that the service currently excludes a large volume of the content Disney has at its disposal in Europe.
Ampere estimates that there are nearly 1,000 titles in Europe which Disney has licensed to-date in at least one market in 2019 which could feasibly be deployed to bolster Disney+ after existing licensing deals expire. Noteworthy exemptions from the Disney+ Netherlands catalogue include the 2018 movie Black Panther, the Marvel blockbuster Avengers Endgame and the popular ABC TV show Grey’s Anatomy.
Of the Disney titles in Europe not currently available on Disney+, 38 per cent are licensed to a single market alone. These titles are slightly older and less high-profile and are therefore unlikely to be core subscription drivers, but nonetheless represent a low-cost way for Disney to boost the size of the Disney+ catalogue. However, there are a total of 144 Disney titles which are not included on Disney+ that have been licensed in 10 or more markets throughout Europe in 2019. Titles with existing multiple market licensing deals typically represent not only popular titles (such as the Avengers movies or TV shows such as Once Upon a Time) with a broad, international appeal, but also the greatest loss of revenues if brought exclusively onto Disney+.
The trial version of Disney+ is clearly only a first indication of the full potential of the service and its catalogue will need to expand both in terms of catalogue breadth and profile in order to drive growth. Ampere’s analysis indicates that significant catalogue expansion is possible, based on Disney’s existing licensing deals – but it will need to carefully balance the opportunity cost of forgoing content licensing income with the projected income generated by subscriptions to its new service.
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